One of the perks of winning the Stanley Cup is the chance to bring the silver chalice home to family and friends. Former Bruins defenseman and Concord native Hal Gill, who won the NHL championship with Pittsburgh last season, proudly returned the Cup to the Hub yesterday, sharing with loving audiences.

Gill spent the morning at his alma mater, Nashoba Regional High in Bolton, before bringing the Cup to The Home for Little Wanderers Knight Children’s Center in Jamaica Plain.

The Home for the Little Wanderers is the nation’s oldest child and family services agency, with the goal to ensure the emotional and social development of at-risk children and their families.

“(The Stanley Cup) is really cool. It was really fun to see him, and he’s very nice,” said a boy at the Knight Center, whose name couldn’t be given due to Center regulations.

Another boy was taken aback by the size of both the 6-foot-7 Gill and all 35 pounds of Lord Stanley’s Cup.

“He was really tall, and really strong,” he said. “(The Cup) almost weighs as much as me!”

“When I was a kid, I wanted to win (the Stanley Cup),” Gill told the children at the Knight Center, adding that he won because of his hard work and love of the game. “I never believed it could happen, but I got lucky.

“It’s awesome to come to places like (the Knight Center),” Gill said. “There are so many people that go into helping out with my career. . . . It’s nice to win and bring it back for them.”

Gill recently signed a two-year deal to play for the rival Montreal Canadiens, so his next trip home won’t be so loving.

“It’s gonna be different coming in as the enemy,” said Gill. “I’m looking forward to being part of that atmosphere again.”